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Linda Marshall of Nashville wants to know how to cook parsnips. “I just usually add them to soups and stews in the diced form, but would like to have other ways to use them,” she writes.Linda, one of my favorite ways to utilize parsnips is to roast them in a 425-degree oven for about 40 minutes. Just toss the peeled large slices with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. You can also steam them for 9 to 10 minutes or cook them on the stovetop. Bring a small amount of water and butter to a boil and add them to the pot. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Then uncover and cook for 10 minutes more to evaporate the liquid. Season with salt and pepper, and you’ve got a great side dish.

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Tea is a key to keeping my voice strong during this time of year. That’s my Achilles heel and it depends on a warm cup of tea with just a drip of honey to keep me talking, my favorite pastime!

Our tea history lesson begins in China, where it has been cultivated for eons. It was used for a variety of purposes, from medicine to money to a vegetable relish of sorts, which sounds horrid to me. The Dutch were the first to import it to Europe in 1610. The English didn’t get involved in that trade until 34 years later, and now they consume nearly a third of all the tea produced in the world each year.

Tea has been the next “hot” beverage for the past 2,000 years and it looks like that might finally be coming to fruition. Sales have steadily increased for the past couple of years and the holiday season is expected to showcase lots of accessory options for consumers.

Brew black or oolong tea with water that has just started to boil. Green tea is an exception to this and should be brewed with water that has not come to a boil. Ideally, the water for this tea should be between 165 and 185 degrees. What I do is bring the water to a boil, then set it aside for several minutes until it has cooled slightly before brewing green tea.

What’s the best way to serve hot tea? Think about those tea parties that use ceramic teapots — that’s the way to go, because it adds to flavor development. I’ll add that it also enhances the overall mood, as well.

Most branded teas are a blend of teas that keep the finished product uniform in taste. I prefer specialty teas from particular regions or those that have certain flavor characteristics. And for a bit of trivia, both black and green teas are derived from exactly the same plant, Camellia sinensis. It’s the processing used that distinguishes the two.